A Calm Mind is a Creative Mind

Photo Credits: Shutterstock

Time to Unwind

The time of the year when everything slows down to the change of season is at the doors. Days are getting shorter, and the long evenings offer the chance to snuggle with whom we love the most and read a good book with a cup of tea, filling our hearts with warmth and peace. With the winter magic also comes the time to self-reflect and allow thoughts, melancholy, sadness, or other emotions often interpreted as negative by Western culture to sneak in to look into ourselves, listen, and revisit our own stories or those of others.

Good stories need time – time to think and reflect, to craft and read, time to let them go once experienced, because, for every story that comes to an end, another is about to begin.

A Mind-changing Approach that Helps Us Thrive.

Investigating uncomfortable issues, learning how to interpret one’s beliefs and stories, and turning them into decisions and actions has been at the core of Lisa Illichmann’s call. With a background in recruiting, Lisa has been working as a mindfulness coach and consultant for over fifteen years. Her work focuses on increasing the ability of individuals to communicate successfully about critical matters, especially when controversial, thus increasing job and life satisfaction, collaboration with others, and performance at work.

Lisa is the founder of Mindfulness Matters. She helps teams and individuals to become the best version of themselves, combining her psychology studies with non-violent communication frames and a mindfulness approach taught at the International Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies.

Brifiworks got in contact with Lisa Illichmann and asked her about the invisible-to-the-eye connection between stories and the importance of mindfulness in life.

Here Are Brifiworks’ Three Questions To Lisa Illichmann

Brifiworks: It’s getting cold outside – for many people, it is a sad and depressive period, with long dark evenings, short days, less sun. What benefits do you see in this period?

Lisa: This is a period that “forces” us to stay – we cannot run away; we have no distractions. We don’t distract ourselves from ourselves, from our emotional landscape. We usually spend time avoiding ourselves. We do everything to avoid feeling what we feel. Because we are afraid or we don’t want to suffer. It is also part of our society; we believe that uncomfortable emotions are wrong. But they are not! They have value; they exist. When we can work with these feelings, then they have more weight. They can give us more insight.

The heavy feelings – especially in this period – are all worth it. There is so much truth in it. So much peace if we allow whatever is within us to be. When you realize that it is maybe not the painful loneliness, how I call myself and see myself is sad.

This is why this time of the year is so helpful. We are no longer distracted – we cannot run away. We are confronted with ourselves and with our reactions. We should accept all the feelings – with healthy honesty: observing our internal landscape with curiosity and realizing all the existing emotions. And let them be.

“Storytelling is a part of mindfulness. It means living intentionally, deciding for myself the meaning I want to give to my life.”

Brifiworks: It is also the time of the year where stories are significant: in front of the fireplace, with a cup of tea, reading out loud for your kids or friends or reading stories just for you. How do you see the connection between Storytelling and Mindfulness?

Lisa: They are very much connected. We need a story; it is a narrative of ourselves. Without a narrative, we are not “existing”. The more mindful I am of the stories in my head, the more I understand the meaning I give to life, and the more I know things that drive me. And the fascinating part is: I have a choice to give myself a new story every day. A story that helps me out of feeling like a victim and puts me back in the driving seat is a story that holds me or gives me courage, a story that helps me. I have the opportunity: do I live intentionally or by default. Both are okay. None of this is true or false. But it is about opening the eyes and seeing and listening to your story.

I am also thinking about the narratives we receive from the different media, which is very consumer-oriented and “negative” – particularly for women. In this situation, I always remind myself: I don’t have to accept the narrative given to me by society, family, friends or culture. But only if I become aware of my narrative can I start to control and change it. So, Storytelling is a part of mindfulness. It means living intentionally, deciding for myself the meaning I want to put in my life. We can empower people with the story or take it away. Let’s concentrate on empowering ourselves and the people around us.

“Without a narrative, we do not exist.”

Brifiworks: Do you have any suggestions for our readers on what they can do to get into the stage of mindfulness and the process of Storytelling?

Lisa: I am a big fan of meditation. This is always my first suggestion. If you don’t have time to meditate, then make time. I always suggest starting with a couple of conscious thoughts. Begin by noticing where the mind goes; notice your breath during the day. Notice that you are here, alive, and begin to move to wake up your body with all your thoughts. Live your life and realize what is happening around you. Become aware that you are aware. That puts you in the driving seat. That’s the key – and that’s what I would always suggest.

The important thing is to wake up. Mindfulness means realizing what is happening outside AND inside. It does not necessarily mean slowing down- but it means noticing what you are doing and making better decisions. And then you begin to change – it will happen organically. You want to be authentic – for you! And this comes from inside out – not from outside.

As per Lisa’s insights, the platform of our feelings creates the urgency to listen to ourselves and our own stories, highlighting where mindfulness and Storytelling meet and help us navigate the complex world out there.